The Inconvenient Truth About …Cockatoos

Cockatoos are one of the most consistently relinquished parrots, handed over to sanctuaries and rescue organizations with regularity, after being deemed just too difficult. Clients with cockatoos make up over 50% of my consulting practice.

What is going on? Are these parrots unfit for life as
human companions? Are they just too difficult to keep as pets? Does it just
take too much time to meet their needs, as some claim?

I don’t believe any of this is true. Cockatoos aren’t any more unfit for life as a human companion than any other parrot species. Instead, they suffer loss of their homes due to our perpetual misunderstanding of them as parrots and of their true needs.

The Cultivation of Urban Legend

For example, one popular website states:

“When hand-fed as
babies and properly tamed, cockatoos tend to form extremely strong bonds with
their owners that last a lifetime. They are also known to be one of the most
affectionate parrot species and sometimes called ‘velcro’ birds.

These birds crave
petting from their owners and prefer to be on or near them at all times. It’s
very important that you’re able to devote the time this pet needs. That
includes handling and socializing with them for at least two hours each day, if
not more.

Some cockatoos can
become depressed if they feel like they aren’t getting enough attention. This
can lead to side effects such as feather plucking and destructive behavior.”

I’m not going to cite this source, other than to say that I lifted this excerpt word for word from what I would call an “authoritative” website – in that it is one that comes up very frequently when searching for anything to do with parrots. Because it comes up regularly, people assume that the information offered is reliable.

Unfortunately this, like many other similar sites, simply repeats the false information that has been published elsewhere. If everyone says it’s so, it must be true. Right? NO.

Online, there is more urban legend about cockatoos than trustworthy information. In fact, if you attempt a Google search, you will have to jump to page 5 before you find anything even remotely scientific. Get to page 8 and you still won’t find any scientific papers about their breeding behavior in the wild. Instead, you will find page after page describing cockatoos as loud, demanding, needy, and cuddly.

Anaïs Nin once said: “We don’t see things as they are; we see things as we are.” The italics are mine. This has never been truer for any subject than it is for cockatoos.

Falsehoods and Fabrication

The word perhaps most often used to describe cockatoos is
cuddly.Needy comes in a close second.

The inconvenient (for us) truth? Cockatoos are not cuddly. Wearecuddly. We are often cuddly to an almost compulsive extent. It is our perceptions of the cockatoo behavior we observe and misinterpret that cause them the trouble in which they often find themselves.

To understand how this misconception came about, we must examine two aspects of wild cockatoo behavior: (1) the manner in which baby cockatoos, especially the larger species, are raised by their parents, and (2) the ways in which adult cockatoos maintain their pair bonds with each other.

Cockatoo Parenting Styles

Each parrot pair cares for their young in a manner specific to their species. This nurturing style differs from one species of parrot to another. Not all parrots care for their babies with the same level of attention. For example, Amazons are known for their almost neglectful care in the wild.

Photo courtesy of Chris Shank

Information about how cockatoo species care for their young comes mainly from breeders who allow their pairs to rear their own babies through fledging and weaning. The advent of nest box cameras has assisted in gathering this knowledge.

In her article “Weaning Sadie: An Observation,” published back in July of 2000 in the Pet Bird Report, now-retired companion cockatoo breeder Katy McElroy discussed the observations she had made of normal weaning time frames for cockatoo fledglings, as well as the manner in which the parents interact with their chicks.

Each parrot species has an innate time frame for becoming food independent. Quite obviously, this cannot occur until the baby learns to fly and can keep up with his parents on foraging expeditions. There is no food in the next cavity. Parent birds do not bring uneaten food into the nest cavity for their chicks. Instead, for the first few months of his life, until fledging, the baby is dependent upon regurgitated food for his sustenance.

This natural time clock to which wild cockatoos adhere for weaning is not changed when they are bred in captivity. When McElroy allowed her Moluccan Cockatoo pairs to raise their own babies, she made two critical observations.

First, the parents were frequently in the nest box, providing physical attention, preening them, touching their beaks, and feeding them. One Moluccan father visited his chick every hour. As the author describes it, there was a “nearly constant level of feeding and attention that parent birds lavish on their offspring.” They did not “wean” their chick until she was close to one year of age. Even when Sadie was eating well on her own, her parents would provide “comfort” feedings, if reassurance after a stressful event was needed.

Contrast this reality, however, with the manner in which
cockatoos are raised in captivity for the pet trade. Large cockatoos like Sadie
are often sent to their new homes between four and five month of age, long
before they should be food independent. This means not only that their weaning
was rushed, but that they did not receive the close physical nurturing contact
that they instinctively need when young.

These babies then go into their first homes hungry for the nurturing that they missed in their abnormal breeding situations. And those adopting these birds do not realize that this hunger for close physical contact is because of these deficient rearing conditions, rather than because cockatoos need cuddling. Turning to the internet for information only solidifies this conviction that petting and cuddling are the correct activities.

As McElroy concludes, by ignoring normal time frames for weaning, we produce a “needier” parrot. And when we respond to this needy behavior by encouraging it, we create a dependent parrot who lacks living skills. Before long, all that bird wants is to be on a shoulder, lap, or chest. She becomes less and less likely to interact with enrichment. She screams for attention if we dare to ask her to perch somewhere by herself. She attacks the new boyfriend. She chases the children when she’s on the floor.

The Reality

In reality, evidence of the fact that cockatoos are not any more “cuddly” or “needy” by nature than any other parrot species is all around us.

Read Chris Shank’s recent blog about Star’s development. Now that she has fledged, she is not seeking out any more close physical contact with her parents than would any other fledgling parrot. All of her needs for emotional support were met by her parents while she was still in the nest box.

Or, read my recent blog post about Georgie Pink. Wendy could very well have turned Georgie into a “velcro” bird. Instead, she provided all the enrichment and training he needed to develop into the independent bird he was destined to be.

Further, those of us who have lived with wild-caught cockatoos, like my Moluccan Cyrano, can verify that these birds, who were reared by their parents before capture, are not particularly cuddly. Instead, they are powerful, resourceful, independent birds.

The reality is that we set cockatoos up to become cuddly, needy birds by breeding and rearing them in such a way that their early needs are not met and then by encouraging neediness their whole lives long.

Pair Bonding Behaviors in Cockatoos

As with their diverse parenting styles, different species display a variety of behaviors that create and maintain their pair bonds. The definition of a pair bond is a close relationship formed through courtship and sexual activity with one other animal or person.

Cockatoos engage in a great deal of close physical contact when maintaining a pair bond – frequent mutual preening and perching in very close proximity to each other. We could say that they cuddle with each other.

This means that, when we have an adult cockatoo and we engage in a great deal of cuddling and petting, we are conveying the message to them that we are their mate. This then is how a pair bond forms between the person and the parrot.

The Cockatoo Disaster Pattern

As well-meaning parrot lovers, we adopt cockatoos and then turn to the abundant on-line literature about how cuddly and needy they are, not realizing that all of this information is nothing more than misinterpretation of observed behavior and imaginative crap. And then, because we want to do the right thing, or perhaps because we intentionally chose a cuddly parrot in the first place, we provide a lot of close physical contact.

This certainly suits the young cockatoo, but more than
anything else…it suits us. Most of us get pets to meet our own emotional needs.
Many needy people are drawn to cockatoos especially. After all, the internet
give us permission to pet those birds as much as we want.

So, we proceed, not realizing that this young parrot not only is growing up with a heavy measure of dependence, but that, as he matures, this will become pair-bonding behavior. Once you have a cockatoo who has formed a pair bond with you, your own quality of life often tanks rather dramatically.

This is about the time that the screaming, aggression, floor-chasing, feather destruction and self-mutilation begins. Physical problems, such as cloacal prolapse, occur as well. Avian veterinarians and parrot behavior consultants are well-familiar with this pattern and its causes.

There is usually crying too – ours. As parrot-loving
people, we can’t believe that things have gone so badly.

And, I’m here to tell you that this very typical situation, in which the cockatoo has a pair bond with one individual in the family, engages in cavity seeking (which comes with the territory) and eats a high-fat, high-carb diet is a very tough problem to solve. It takes a great deal of consistent effort on the owner’s part to get hormone production under control and convince the parrot that she really isn’t his sexual partner, that he needs to be nice to her real partner, and that he needs to live relatively independently. Turning this around can take years of persistent, on-going effort.

It is made especially difficult because we don’t want to do it. I cannot tell you the number of times I have explained to a client that she really needs to stop cuddling and petting her cockatoo, only to have her react as if crushed. This news usually comes as an emotional blow, so dependent are we on pursuing this behavior with our birds.

It is also true that, by the time clients with problem cockatoos come to me, or are at the point of giving their beloved parrot up, they often feel victimized by the bird. Can we blame them? No.

After all, they have followed all the advice that they found in the first five Google search pages. They have cuddled the bird. They have provided hours of one-on-one attention. They have done everything they can think of to make the bird happy. And yet, the parrot’s behavior is making their lives impossible.

Who’s the Victim?

In reality, we are the ones who have victimized the cockatoos.

Every time we breed a cockatoo without understanding their innate developmental needs, we victimize them.

Every time we breed a cockatoo for money and wean it too
early, we victimize them.

Every time we clip wings and prevent fledging, we
victimize them.

When we bring them into our homes and allow them hours of shoulder and lap time, we victimize them.

When we cuddle with them under the covers and pet them down their backs, we victimize them.

When we keep them in our homes and make decisions based solely upon what they appear to want, rather than what they need, to live an independent lifestyle… we victimize them.

Solutions

This disaster pattern is avoidable.

First, do not adopt a baby cockatoo from a breeder unless you can find one who either allows the parents to rear their own offspring, or encourages a full fledging experience and food independence that follows wild, innate patterns. And, that’s about impossible in the United States.

If you really want a cockatoo, please adopt one from a
rescue organization. Believe me, there is no shortage of older birds available.

Then realize that there is a 99% chance that the previous owner interacted with the parrot in such a way that a pair bond formed. You will have verification the first time the bird lays his head on your chest and begs for petting. Birds who change homes usually do their best to form the same type of social bond with their new owner as they had with the last. So, be prepared.

When you see this, you will know that instead of responding in like manner, you must instead begin to reinforce this parrot for any independent behavior he displays. Now is his chance for a happier, more autonomous life. His spirit will respond over time. If you work on training him to perform new, and more functional, behaviors, he will begin to look to you for guidance rather than physical affection. The result will be a much greater quality of life for you both.

We owe them this.

Thank you for reading my blog. I am Pamela Clark, an IAABC Certified Parrot Behavior Consultant. My passion is helping people with parrots by offering behavior consultations and publishing information you can trust. To access free resources, schedule a consultation, or subscribe to my newsletter (which is a different publication from this blog), please visit me at http://www.pamelaclarkonline.com. Until next time!

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Pamela Clark, CPBC

I am an IAABC Certified parrot behavior consultant who successfully helps parrot owners to resolve behavior problems and train their parrots. I also help determine the best diet, social and physical environments to help that individual parrot flourish.
View all posts by Pamela Clark, CPBC

As the keeper of an older, wild-caught U2, so much of this rings true for me. I found your words encouraging, as I’m always looking for ways to make life better for my bird. Your insights into the lives of cockatoos are keen and useful. Thank you for your work.

Thank YOU so much for the comment. My Moluccan is about 43 years old now and was wild-caught. He had a pair bond with his previous owner, and to this day would happily get under the covers with me, but I keep my distance and he’s a happy well-adjusted parrot. I appreciate the kind words.

I love this blog. I know it’s about birds, but I think It also helps explain why people ruin their dogs too. There’s way to much carrying and petting. Not only does this start fights in a pack, but it makes basket cases out of them. (Separation Anxiety) You don’t have to coddle animals to show them you love them. You show them you love them when you provide good food, vet care and shelter . ❤️

And…I love this comment! So true, Tracy. As a vet tech, I’ve dealt with my share of (mostly) small dogs who had no boundaries or skills at all, when it came to dealing with life. So much better to teach.

Thanks SO much for the fantastic comment! I hope so too. I think we have a long way to go, but it’s up to us as consumers to drive this change. As Brian Speer, DVM once said, “Aviculture is the only farming industry that produces family members.” Rather chilling, isn’t it? We need to evolve parrot breeding from a farming industry!

thanks for this article! A few weeks ago, a man gave me his cockatoo (goffins) and though many years ago, I had a goffins for a short time ….my husband had a severe allergy to him, and I had to rehome very quickly. I still tried to read as much as possible about ‘toos, and asked fb groups about them. There was a lot of ‘get used to wearing her on your neck’ type stuff. I was kind of scared that I’d taken on too much of a bird.

What I have discovered, is that, yes, this bird was used to experiencing her very narrow world on her owner’s shoulder for many years. She is new here, and tentative/scared of many things that my grey welcomes as ‘fun’ or activities, etc.

Makayla has spent alot of time in her cage for the last 2 years, due to some stressors of her previous owner. He thought carefully about rehoming, when he knew it wasn’t going to get better for her. He did/does love her.

I also read your article about Georgie Pink, and loved it. I try to ‘switch up’ life & activities, and make stuff interesting for my birds. Think that Makayla (new bird) is beginning to enjoy it, even though I do not want her on my shoulder. I can still lover her in many different ways. I think it’s better to have a lot of ‘stuff’ to do, and change up the scenery sometimes, to keep her perspective from only living through perching on someone’s shoulder all of the time.
I got many bits of advice, alot from people who said ‘love sponge’ ‘you’ll need to wear a towel’ etc. I appreciated other people’s perspectives.
Now, the next biggest ‘fear’ of mine is the challenge of a long Maine winter. Right now, we go outdoors, go to the greenhouse, take walks….all this goes away in witner, and life will get much smaller for the next season.
Next month, I think I will join the Parrot Project, if there are no other financial challenges…..hope it gives me some good ideas, and guidance about enriching not only 1 parrot but now two. I also have an african grey, who has been with me for 28+ years.
Thanks for the article!
Sherry

Thanks for the thoughtful comment. I appreciate hearing about your experience and viewpoint. I agree with you 100% that providing as much variety in a force-free way is going to increase quality of life. Rehabilitating birds who have lived on shoulders just takes time. I sympathize regarding the challenge of winters. We have it a bit easy here in Oregon, but we have plenty of days during which the dark and the rain makes for enforced indoor time for long stretches. However, training new behaviors can go a long way to making up for that.

Yes! In fact, I’ve decided that will be the subject of my next blog post because you are not the only one who has asked. Here is the short answer: (1) Immediately stop all petting down the back, under the wings, and on the chest, and (2) gradually begin to decrease the amount of time that the bird spends on your body (shoulder, lap, etc). Instead, begin to use preferred food items to reward desirable behaviors. Get all seed and nuts out of the regular diet and use these instead to reinforce pleasant noises, behaviors like stepping up, stepping off of you and going back into the cage, etc. At the same time, begin to train both stationing and targeting. The training protocols for these are on my website. Learn to behave as a teacher with your bird, rather than a cuddle-buddy. If you would like to consider a consultation, I would be happy to help.

I am a new owner of a rescued Goffins. I am also a new bird owner. This article has been great for me. Luckily I don’t have too many bad habits to break! 😉 Is there another blog post that elaborates on your final paragraph?

Thanks so much for your message. The answer to your question is “yes.” If you scroll through the previous blog posts, you will find one called “What is Training?” There is also “Create a Bullet-Proof Relationship with your Parrot” and “10 Tips for Relationships with Parrots.”

Goffin’s cockatoos are fast, inquisitive, scarily intelligent, and can be quite aggressive when hormone production is at a high. Best to begin using positive reinforcement with him right from the beginning so that he understands which behaviors will bring him success in your home. Reward all cued behaviors. It would be a great idea to teach him targeting, if you don’t already. Instructions for doing so, as well as an article about the practice itself is on my website at http://www.pamelaclarkonline.com.

a few thoughts. first, one does not adopt from a breeder. one *purchases* from a breeder. breeders should be put out of business because they contribute to the growing numbers of abandoned parrots. having said that, i rescued my umbrella cockatoo 19 years ago from a woman who had purchased him out of impulse. he was 6 months old. i could do nothing about his past and how he was not properly weaned by his parents. so i think that the advice you provide is disingenuous. the damage was already done, so to speak. he is cuddly, he screams if he doesn’t get attention, he wants to be with his human companions all the time. i have accepted that because i made a promise to him the day he came into my life. you can’t turn back the clock and to suggest that the need for cuddliness (is that a word?) is a human rather than a parrot issue is condescending. this is the problem: animals should not be turned into pets, but this will never change because there’s an industry that profits from it. the only solution is to adopt and to provide the best possible quality of life.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. You are quite right that one “purchases” from a breeder.

I do not agree with your viewpoint that “the damage was already done.” From what you say, I would guess that you have not had any introduction into applied behavior analysis. There is much that can be done about behavior that is dysfunctional. No one need accept the behavior that you describe. Parrots are long-lived, intelligent creatures that are capable of learning their whole lives long, just as humans are. “Cuddliness,” as you describe it, can certainly be changed into more functional behavior. That was the whole point of the post, which you appear to have missed. Your bird could have a better quality of life if you were to embrace this reality.

This was a very interesting article. For now, my husband and I own parakeets. We have been researching large parrots to see if eventually, when we have a home, we will be the right type of owners to have one. I absolutely love Cockatoos and this article is an eye opener (in a good way!). Humans do such injustices to these beautiful animals. Thank you for sharing this valuable information. I’m not sure if we’ll end up with a large bird, but if we do, it will definitely be from a rescue after having done extensive research.

Such great advice again, Pam. It can be so tough getting through those emotional reactions that people have. But, when the information is important enough, we gotta push through! We definitely do owe it to them ❤️

Thanks so much, Ashly. It’s great to hear from you again. It IS tough getting through those emotional reactions. It’s hard for people to stop petting those amazing birds, but we’ll just keep on spreading the word:)

Great article, thank you. Could you steer toward some information about helping reinforce the independent behaviors? I have a 20-something M2 foster. He was diagnosed with PDD a year after I first had him, well 8 years later he is still my foster. He is a great boy and is pretty independent but he wants to be in view of us at all times… he doesnt need physical contact just be with us. I cant walk out of the room… he gets VERY loud (I know the volume is normal for a M2) …I feel very bad for him because no one wants to adopt him … advice is greatly appreciate… I know its normal to want to be apart of the family and we do our best but I need to help him be content being in another part of the house at times

Thanks for the comment. It sounds like this might be a two-part solution: (1) teach independent behaviors, and (2) resolve a screaming problem. I’ll try to help, but the scope of your question is a bit bigger than I can answer well here.

I do have some blog posts about how to reinforce different behaviors. You can teach a parrot how to forage and interact with enrichment. I’ve covered that in my blog called “My Parrot Won’t Play with Toys!” There are also a couple of blog posts about screaming. And, in case you are interested, I am holding a live webinar this coming Thursday about loud parrots. You can sign up at http://www.pamelaclarkonline.com.

Resolution of this problem also depends upon expectations. Yes, it’s normal for him to want to come with you. Yes, he should be able to entertain himself for periods of time. What is reasonable? I’m afraid that I can’t answer that without more information.

Thanks for the reinforcement of the truth that all birds need to be raised by their parents and not humans. In the nest they are taught how to be birds and not need the constant attention of a person. Out of the nest they can function in a normal way, learning to play with toys, explore their territory, and accept the occasional petting.

Thanks so much for the reinforcement. This topic is huge. All parrots should be parent-reared and I hope to see this awareness become mainstream in my lifetime. The practice itself may change more slowly.

Another thoughtful well written article which generalizes to all critters. But it is not a perfect world. My last dogs were raised with me and their mother. They were truly perfect east meets west dogs even in the imperfect world. I worked with them as facilitators to rehabilitate Post traumatic stress disordered individuals; dogs, cats, even human critters …like me. People would ask me; “how did you train them they are perfect? ” (Father English Labrador and best mother ever a”scary”Blue Chow Chow= Chowdors?) I would say ” I didn’t their mom did …I just helped “. Few “pets ” are that lucky , maybe that explains the anthropomorphism and over compensating. I would also profess that the most important thing to teach your “pet” was to “go away ” and be happy by ya own critter self…OH! Cool an Anias Nin quote 👍🏻😼

Yes! “Go away and be happy by ya own critter self!” The best parrots I have are those who never had their wings clipped. Fully independent. We co-habit, usually without cages. Sometimes with. Life is not, after all, perfect. Happy. Merry.

Hi Pamela, I have read most of the information here. Love your insite. Your name is very familiar, we went to many seminars about these birds 8 to 10 years ago in San Diego. Can’t remember if we met there, or where you are from. We live in West L.A. and are looking for someone who will bird sit for us. We have a great sitter now, but we are afraid she has bigger plans. We are looking of course for the special person that understands these special birds. He is proximately 25 years old, is a love, and knows instinctively who likes him. He has not been socialized as most of our friends won’t even give him a chance. Anyway it was great to read your article, and if you know anyone in the area, that you would trust with our Cameo, send me a PM message. Hours needed are from 3Pm to about 6Pm. about 3 hours a day. ay is great.

Thank you so much for your comment. I used to live in California, so we very well may have met at a seminar in the past. However, I moved to Oregon in 2002, so have no knowledge of any pet sitters in CA. Wishing you good luck in finding one!